Bitumen, also known as asphalt or tar, is a black, oily, viscous material that is a naturally-occurring organic byproduct of decomposed organic materials. Liquid bitumen is typically transported via barges, rail, and trucks.
Shipping liquid bitumen by barge is advantageous because of its relatively low costs. But, keeping the liquid bitumen at the correct temperature during transport is a major concern. Also, the disadvantages of transporting liquid bitumen by barge are the limited availability of locations where waterways are available and the susceptibility to delays due to weather conditions.
Transporting liquid bitumen by rail is also common, but the delivery temperature of the liquid bitumen directly affects unloading time and their heating costs. The rail cars are not heated during transport and depending upon the length of travel time and the ambient temperature, the railcars may require reheating upon arrival. If the liquid bitumen has cooled to ambient temperature, it may take up to 24 hours to reheat the liquid bitumen so that it may be unloaded.
The most common means for transporting liquid bitumen is by truck, because it offers the most control over delivery time. At a mixing plant, the liquid bitumen is expected to be delivered at the desired mixing temperature because heating the liquid bitumen results in delays and adds to production costs. Some tanker trailers may be equipped with heaters, to keep the liquid bitumen at a certain temperature. But these heaters are usually burners that run on diesel oil, which therefore adds to transportation costs.
The present invention is directed to composition for pelletized bitumen and a method for preparing the pelletized bitumen. In this pelletized form, bitumen may be transported without having to be heated, thereby reducing transportation costs. Other compositions for pelletized asphalt have been used, but none of the previous asphalt pellets have been able to maintain their integrity when stored in extremely hot temperatures.